2 Nephi 28:32

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Reference Search: 2 Nephi 28:32

32 Wo be unto the Gentiles, saith the Lord God of Hosts! For notwithstanding I shall lengthen out mine arm unto them from day to day, they will deny me; nevertheless, I will be merciful unto them, saith the Lord God, if they will repent and come unto me; for mine arm is lengthened out all the day long, saith the Lord God of Hosts.

Quotes for Discussion

Conclusion

The Saints of God may be educators, authors, scientists, or historians; they may be soldiers, farmers, or judges; they may be shepherds of sheep or drovers of cattle; they may earn their bread in any one of a thousand temporal pursuits. All of these things, however, are but avocations. They are also and preeminently the elders or sisters of Israel and the Saints of the Most High. They are the Lord’s agents and his representatives. These are their true vocations. Their labors in our Father’s business must take precedence over all else. Through those labors they earn the eternal bread of which men may eat and never hunger more.

If and when there is a conflict of interest between members’ earthly pursuits and their heavenly pursuits, it is time to take stock and choose to walk in the course charted from on high. The Saints’ chief obligation is to follow the Lord and work for his interests. Their pledge, sworn on the altars of God, is and must be that they will never do anything to destroy faith; they must never perform an act or espouse a cause that runs counter to the needs and purposes of the Church. If this means they forsake the course their colleagues in the world pursue, so be it. Each member must come to believe and declare with soberness: “The kingdom of God or nothing!”

Millet and McConkie, Doctrinal Commentary of BOM, Vol 1, p. 345

President Spencer W. Kimball, ”When Satan is bound in a single home—when Satan is bound in a single life—the Millennium has already begun in that home, in that life.”

Teachings of Spencer W. Kimball, p. 172

Elder Boyd K. Packer wrote: “Without a knowledge of the gospel plan, transgression seems natural, innocent, even justified. There is no greater protection from the adversary than for us to know the truth—to know the plan!”

Our Father’s Plan [1984], 27

President James E. Faust taught: “We need not become paralyzed with fear of Satan’s power. He can have no power over us unless we permit it. He is really a coward, and if we stand firm, he will retreat. The Apostle James counseled: ‘Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.’ (James 4:7.) He cannot know our thoughts unless we speak them. [D&C 6:16.] And Nephi states that ‘he hath no power over the hearts’ of people who are righteous. (1 Nephi 22:26.)

“We have heard comedians and others justify or explain their misdeeds by saying, ‘The devil made me do it.’ I do not really think the devil can make us do anything. Certainly he can tempt and he can deceive, but he has no authority over us which we do not give him.

“The power to resist Satan may be stronger than we realize. The Prophet Joseph Smith taught: ‘All beings who have bodies have power over those who have not. The devil has no power over us only as we permit him. The moment we revolt at anything which comes from God, the devil takes power.’ (Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, sel. Joseph Fielding Smith [salt Lake City: Deseret Book Co., 1938], p. 181.)

“He also stated, ‘Wicked spirits have their bounds, limits, and laws by which they are governed.’

(History of the Church, 4:576.) So Satan and his angels are not all-powerful”

In James P. Bell, In the Strength of the Lord: The Life and Teachings of James E. Faust, [1999], 418

President Ezra Taft Benson taught: “A young man who knows and loves the Book of Mormon, who has read it several times, who has an abiding testimony of its truthfulness, and who applies its teachings will be able to stand against the wiles of the devil and will be a mighty tool in the hands of the Lord….

“I bless you with increased discernment to judge between Christ and anti-Christ. I bless you with increased power to do good and to resist evil. I bless you with increased understanding of the Book of Mormon. I promise you that from this moment forward, if we will daily sup from its pages and abide by its precepts, God will pour out upon each child of Zion and the Church a blessing hitherto unknown—and we will plead to the Lord that He will begin to lift the condemnation—the scourge and judgment. Of this I bear solemn witness.”

Teachings of Ezra Taft Benson, 63, 65

[Hemidakota]

Brother of Nephi, Jacob, may have read Nephi's works and added his thoughts. Yet, there is almost no limit to the Lord's mercy, no end to his longsuffering with his children. "How merciful is our God unto us," exulted Jacob, "for he remembereth the house of Israel, both roots and branches; and he stretches forth his hands unto them all the day long." Jacob further implored the covenant people to "repent, and come with full purpose of heart, and cleave unto God as he cleaveth unto you. And while his arm of mercy is extended towards you in the light of the day, harden not your hearts." (Jacob 6:4-5.)

Edited August 8, 2010 by Hemidakota